 This Week In Water Polo
The No. 13 UC Santa Barbara women's water polo team opens its 2009 home schedule this week when it plays Cal State Monterey Bay on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Campus Pool. The Gauchos will then remain at home to host the Gaucho Spring Invite on Saturday and Sunday. The eight team tournament features Bucknell, Cal Baptist, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, No. 16 Long Beach State, Pacific, No. 6 San Diego State and No. 19 UC San Diego. All the action will take place at Campus Pool.

 Tourney Tix
Tickets for UCSB's Gaucho Spring Invite are now available for purchase. All-tournament passes are available for $15 for adults and $10 for youth and seniors. Call (805) 893-UCSB to purchase tickets or click here.

 Same Place, Different Time
The Gauchos will host Bucknell on Monday, Mar. 9 in a nonconference game. The contest was originally scheduled for a 4 p.m. start, but will be moved to 2 p.m. to accommodate the Bison travel plans.

 For The Record
UCSB currently holds a 6-5 overall record after splitting four games two weeks ago at the UC Irvine Invitational. The Gauchos fell to then-ranked No. 1 USC, 16-3, and No. 7 UC Davis, 10-6, on the first day of the tournament. The following day, UCSB was able to upset then-ranked No. 13 Long Beach State, 11-10, and No. 11 Michigan, 7-4, to take 13th place. With its pair of upsets, UCSB leapt from 19th to 13th in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Top-20 Coaches Poll.

 Senior Citizen
Senior Gillian Morgan had another phenomenal weekend for the Gauchos at the UCI Invite. The senior led the team with 14 goals across the four contests and for her standout performance, she was named Big West Player of the Week on Feb. 27. Morgan scored multiple goals in each contest and tied the school record for goals in a game with seven in the win over Long Beach State. She now ranks second on the UCSB career goals list with 160 goals while in the blue and gold. The school record is held by Kelley Tiffany (1999-2002) at 213 goals.

 Goalie Gossip
Sophomore goalie Kate Murphy posted a career-best 12 saves in the Gauchos' 7-4 win over Michigan. She is currently averaging a team-leading 8.3 saves per game.

 Double Trouble
Aside from Morgan, two other Gauchos have cracked the double digits in goals this season: Lizzie Rouleau and Claire Buchanan. Rouleau is second on the team with 13 goals this season and is also second with nine steals. Buchanan has posted 11 goals - including two against Michigan during the Gauchos' last outing - and is tied with Morgan for first on the squad with 15 earned penalties or ejections.

 Coming Attractions
Following this week's full slate, the Gauchos will remain at home for three more contests. UCSB will host Iona on Mar. 23 before welcoming UC Davis on Mar. 28 and Pacific the following day for its first two Big West Conference contests. The game against the Tigers will be the last home contest of the season.